WingedKatt here. Just as an FYI, I'm changing the layout of Nick's house a little bit. It's something I've been thinking of doing for a while, and with the Hopps clan arriving, there was no better time like the present. The basic layout is the same, but there is now a Study between the Weight Room and the Living Room where Nick has his computer, printer, ect. Nick also has a master bathroom in his room and a walk-in closet that is at the back of his room where the bed was before. Just swap where the bed and closet originally were, and you got it. I'm also adding a third bedroom upstairs next to Judy's room. Since Honey's husband died before they could have more kits, the spare room was never used as a bedroom but was converted into the music room where Nick keeps his recording equipment, guitar, and other instruments. It also has a comfortable, overstuffed black couch in it.
I will be going back through the story and making changes to reflect this new layout, but it will be a huge undertaking as there are a lot of chapters that deal with the layout of the house, so I'll work on the changes a bit at a time. Now enjoy the story.
PS. I put in a cutscene at the beginning of ch24: Greedy, if you're interested in reading it. It involves a couple of characters we met back in ch.3 that I never followed up on.
As the front door opened, Judy glanced over to watch her parents walk into the house. Bonnie's gaze was immediately arrested by the elegant kitchen she could see from her left while Stu's eyes were roving over the high-ceiled, log cabin themed living room. With a bright smile, Judy caught their attention as she spoke up, saying, "Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. I'm so glad you made it."
Bonnie and Stu's gazes shot to Judy and they hurried over to engulf her in a tight hug. Vivian sat watching them with a warm smile on her muzzle. When they had heard the jeep pull up, Vivian had scooted over to give Judy some room as she had imagined this very scene happening.
"Oh, bun-bun," Bonnie cooed, "we're so glad you're alright!" Standing up straight to get a good look at her head-strong daughter, Bonnie nudged her husband, saying, "Look, Stu, Judy's ears aren't droopy anymore." Bonnie couldn't forget the gloomy clouds of depression that had followed Judy home from Zootopia and became her constant companion while she was home in the burrow.
"Yeah, I see, Bonnie," Stu replied. No matter what he personally thought about his daughter living with a fox, it was obvious that Judy was no longer suffering from depression. Her eyes were bright again, and her complexion was now a healthy color. He really couldn't complain about the fox's care of his little bun-bun—but why, oh why, did it have to be a fox?
Stu's thoughts were interrupted as Janette and Janelle came into the room. "Hey, Judy!" they both exclaimed at the same time. Moving past their parents, the two girls leaned down and hugged their littermate. "Nick is a dream," Janelle whispered in one ear as Janette whispered in the other, "You're right, Nick is gold."
Stepping back, they met Judy's wide, buck-toothed smile with one of their own. They hadn't spent much time with Nick yet, but just from the confident way he carried himself and the easy way in which he answered their questions on the short drive from the station, they realized right away that Judy hadn't been exaggerating when she bragged about how easy it was to get along with Nick. And he never once made them feel afraid at the fact he was a fox. His beautiful yard and large house certainly added points in his favor.
The next one to hug Judy was Alexia, who whispered, "I expect at least a day pass for one of the rallies."
With a soft giggle, Judy answered, "You got it." Although Alexia had never been interested in the rallies before, Judy assumed Amy must have said something about them before hopping on the train and surprising her and Nick with her early visit. Judy also knew Alexia was always on the lookout for new ideas for her children's stories she liked to write and illustrate. Being able to write about her two sisters participating in the rallies would be a unique story Alexia could write for the kits.
Stepping back to let the boys give their sister a hug, Alexia was excited about the idea of attending one of the jeep rallies with Judy and Amy, along with Judy's fox. Although the rallies had never been something she was particularly interested in before, she was looking forward to attending this year. It would be a new experience for her that she could write about later.
As Chester hugged his younger sister, he whispered, "Nick seems to be an interesting fellow. I'm glad you found a good friend and roommate."
Judy smiled in appreciation. "Thanks," she whispered back. Justin's words, on the other paw, had her ears and nose tinging a deeper pink as he whispered, "I want details later." Judy didn't bother with a reply as she was trying to keep her nose from twitching like crazy, especially since she knew Janette and Janelle were going to want to hear the details, too.
As her siblings stepped back, and to distract herself from the thoughts Justin had brought up, Judy turned to the fox next to her and said, "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Nick's mother, Vivian." Pointing to her siblings, she said, "Vivian, I'd like you to meet my parents, Stu and Bonnie, and my siblings, Justin, Chester, Alexia, Janette, and Janelle."
Once the introductions were made and Vivian had shaken paws with all the bunnies, Amy clapped her paws together and said, "Okay, who's ready for the grand tour?" The rabbits all voiced their desire, and Amy happily led them around the house, starting in the kitchen and dining room, then down the hall to the study, the weight room, and the half-bath, then upstairs to the rest of the house, with Nick following behind, answering any questions the rabbits had and explaining how he inherited the house from his adoptive mother.
Being left alone in the living room with Vivian as everyone headed upstairs, Judy breathed out a deep sigh of relief and then rubbed her forehead. She was glad everyone was getting along and that her siblings all had a good impression of Nick, but she wasn't looking forward to the inquisition her littermates had planned for her. She and Nick had done a lot of things together, some of which she had no intention of talking about (though that didn't stop her ears from turning a bright shade of red while thinking about them). Hopefully, she could keep the conversation focused on the amazingly sweet dates Nick had taken her on and away from the more hot and tantalizing situations she and Nick had found themselves in.
"Well," Vivian broke the silence (they could hear the bunnies walking around upstairs, but it was quiet down in the living room), "that went well, I think." Studying the bunny beside her, Vivian wondered why Judy was suddenly looking a bit anxious.
Looking up, a bright smile crossed Judy's face. "Yeah, everything is going well. I'm glad Nick was able to give everyone a good impression of himself." Twiddling her thumbs, Judy breathed another sigh of relief. Although she knew Nick would make a good impression on her family, seeing it in person was a huge weight off her shoulders. Crossing her fingers for luck, Judy prayed they could continue with the good vibes and that no incident would happen. With her dad being here, anything was possible.
With a nod, Vivian then asked, "So why are you looking so glum all of the sudden?"
As Judy's ears drooped, she glanced behind her at the stairs to make sure no one was coming down, then she turned around and said softly, "My littermates are going to want to interrogate me later about my relationship with Nick." At Vivian's raised brow, Judy explained, "They already know I'm crazy about Nick and he's crazy about me, and they know we're engaged and will soon be married, but I'm afraid of sharing a few of the more intimate details they're going to be asking for."
"Oh," Vivian murmured, "I see." At Judy's nod, Vivian lowered her voice and said, "You don't want to tell them about how much Nick's teeth and claws drive you wild, right?"
With a groan, Judy grabbed her flaming red ears and hid behind them. "Yes," she moaned while refusing to mention the other aspects of Nick's anatomy that drove her wild.
Vivian chuckled softly at the blushing bunny beside her, then asked, "So what are you going to do?"
Peeking out from between her ears, with her nose twitching furiously, Judy answered softly, "I'm hoping to keep them focused on our dates. It'll be easier if I can keep the boys occupied outside so my sisters and I can watch some of the videos Nick made of them."
"That's a smart idea," Vivian replied just as softly, "Maybe I can help in keeping the guys outside, how's that?"
Releasing her ears and letting them spring upright, Judy grabbed Vivian's paws and exclaimed, "Would you? That would be perfect."
With a soft chuckle, Vivian answered, "Of course, I would. Anything for my favorite soon-to-be daughter-in-law."
Judy flashed Vivian a blinding, buck-toothed grin, then giggled. Knowing Nick's mom approved of their marriage and gave them her blessing was a huge weight off Judy's shoulders. Being in such an unusual interspecies relationship, she had worried that she would wind-up in an antagonistic relationship with her mother-in-law. But now all those fears had been blown away by Vivian's complete support and encouragement. It was a thousand times better than what she had first hoped for.
-/-/-
As Amy led her parents and siblings through Nicholas's house, the rabbits were all impressed with the elegant kitchen with its black walnut cabinets and black granite countertops, along with the formal dining room with its antique mahogany dining table, matching mahogany china hutch, and a crystal chandelier.
The boys, of course, were all excited about the log cabin-themed living room, study, weight room, and half-bath. For two mammals living here, the downstairs was truly spacious with high ceilings and plenty of leg room. Moving upstairs, they were again impressed with the three bedrooms. Nick's door was shut, but they were able to walk into Judy's room which was huge compared to bunny standards. Even if they were to bring in all eight of Judy's boxes and stacked them in her room, there would still be plenty of room left for moving around. The bed was also huge and could easily fit several bunnies on it with room to spare.
Entering the third bedroom, the rabbits saw that it had been turned into a music studio. Nick had his guitar sitting on its stand, an electric keyboard hooked up to a music synthesizer which in turn was hooked up to a medium-sized laptop. There was also a small drum set which sat across from a comfortable looking black faux-leather couch. Janelle and Justin couldn't help but hop onto and give it a try. They sank right down into the thick cushions and laughed at how comfortable it was.
Chester was interested in the drum set as he had played the drums back in high school, but hadn't done anything with them since. When he asked about the drum set, Nick admitted that the drums weren't his, but belonged to his friend Finnick, as he was the one who played them. The rabbits still found the fact that Nick could play both the guitar and the piano quite remarkable, and Nick promised to play the guitar for them later after they brought in Judy's boxes.
The most impressive room, though, was the elegant library and piano room with the floor to ceiling bookcases and the sleek, black grand piano sitting in between the two large windows that were letting the bright sunlight stream in. After Judy's family looked around the room and gawked at the massive library and then the large, shiny piano, Nick encouraged them to take a seat. They had the choice of sitting on the white, Victorian styled sofa that sat across from the piano, or one of two large, baby-blue comfortable reading chairs that sat at either side of the room. The chairs were large enough to comfortably sit three bunnies each.
Taking the piano bench, Nick flashed Amy a mischievous grin, then set his fingers to the piano keys. Still watching Amy, his fingers flew across the keys as Nick began playing the fast-paced William Tell Overture—in other words, The Lone Ranger theme song. Turning back to the piano, Nick's head and tail started moving to the fast beat of the music he was playing.
When Nick was done, he glanced over to see Amy with her arms crossed and a slight pout on her face while remembering how easily Nick had guessed the bonus puzzle earlier on Wheel of Fortune. The other rabbits, though, all had their mouths gaping open at Nick's flawless ability to play such a fast paced, complicated song.
Janelle was the first one to break the silence. "Wow, Nick! That was amazing. When Judy said you could play, she wasn't exaggerating! Can you play any song?"
Nick shrugged. "If I'm familiar with the song, then I can. Otherwise, I need to either hear the song a few times or read the sheet music, but it never takes much for me to learn anything new."
"Really?" Janelle asked again. "Are all foxes this good at music?"
Janelle's sudden interest in foxes couldn't be missed and Nick wondered what Judy had been telling her about him and the…pleasures of being with a fox. Being Judy and Janette's littermate, he was sure Janelle had been told about his and Judy's romp on her bed Thursday afternoon. Was Janelle now interested in getting her own foxy boyfriend? With Judy already hooked up with a fox, and with Amy soon to follow (Nick didn't believe Finnick could resist Amy's sweet bunny charms for long), how was poor Stu going to survive with a third daughter falling for a fox? Nick had to keep his snicker inside his head as he glanced at the specist buck.
Janelle's foxy question had brought a frown to Stu's mouth. He wasn't pleased to see another one of his daughters developing an interest in foxes. It was a good thing Amy was here for a few days. Being Judy's older sister, maybe Amy could talk some sense into her younger sister about the perils of becoming romantically involved with a fox. Amy had a good head on her shoulders, so her words should carry some weight if she were to talk to Judy about it. Stu could only hope.
Pulling his attention back to the problem at paw, Nick flicked his ear and folded his paws over his chest as he carefully considered how best to answer Janelle's question. "If they're given the opportunity, I don't think there would be too many foxes who couldn't learn an instrument. But again, it goes back to having the opportunity and if music is something they're interested in. My mom is a concert pianist, so she made sure all us kits knew how to play the piano." Reaching over to hit the C note, he added, "Once I knew the piano, it was easy to pick up other instruments, like my guitar."
Janelle nodded, even as Janette spoke up, saying, "Judy said you have a really good singing voice, so can you sing us a song, too?"
Nick smiled brightly at Judy's other littermate who looked so much like her. "I will, but first, we should bring in all of Judy's boxes. I don't know what all you guys packed, but it's probably not a good idea to leave everything outside in this heat. And don't forget the vegetables and lemons you guys brought. I hope the insulated bags you packed them in are doing a good job." When the bunnies were getting off the train, along with the boxes, Chester and Justin were also each carrying an insulated shopping bag which Nick knew contained the vegetables and lemons the Hopps promised to bring.
"Oh, heaven's, Nick, you're right," Bonnie said as she remembered the main reason for their visit. Standing up, she waved her paw towards her kits. "Come on, let's get hopping."
As the rabbits made their way down the hall towards the stairs, they all were lost in thought. Chester and Alexia were both impressed with Nick's house. While living in such a massive, crowded city like Zootopia, for Nick to own such a large house with so much yard space on top of it—it was inconceivable! Not only did Judy's friend own such a nice, spacious place, but she was moving in with him! Judy had her own large room, and the house was big enough that when she or Nick needed their space, there were plenty of places they could go to find some quiet time.
Seeing how fit Nick seemed to be, Chester wondered if he ever played basketball while Alexia was also looking forward to the jeep rally she would be attending (she was going to hold her sister to her word of getting her a day pass). If she caught the last train from Bunnyburrow, she could stay the night, spend some quality time with Amy and Judy, along with their foxy new friend, then get up bright and early the next day to spend the whole day with them at the jeep rally. Just thinking about embarking on this new adventure had her heart pumping and her tail vibrating with excitement.
Jannette, on the other paw, was starting to see what attracted Judy to the tall, sly todd who had stolen her heart. Nick was bright and witty and had a very smooth tongue. He was also highly knowledgeable and quick with his answers. Janette was also glad to see that although Nick's predatory features were a huge turn-on for Judy, he wasn't flaunting them in front of her family. Nick never flashed his teeth and kept his semi-retractable claws in. Nor did he once growl, even in joking. It was a huge improvement from the growling Nick she had first met on MuzzleTime Thursday afternoon.
Janelle and Justin were also impressed with Nick's easy personality and spacious house. Living in Zootopia, they knew there was no way Judy could find anything better. And seeing how close Judy and Nick were, the fact Nick planned to marry her quickly instead of putting it off was also points in his favor. It showed how serious Nick was about his relationship with their sister and that there was no way he was going to let her slip through his fingers a second time.
Janelle and Justin were both wondering when exactly the two lovebirds planned to hold the wedding and if there was any way they could sneak back down to attend it. Janelle really wanted to be a bridesmaid at Judy's wedding, and even though she knew the two were planning a big bunny wedding in the spring, Janelle wanted to be a bridesmaid at this wedding when Judy first tied the knot. Furthermore, seeing Nick in person and being able to talk to him and get to know him better, Janelle was seriously thinking about finding her own foxy boyfriend when she returned to Bunnyburrow.
While thinking of Judy's upcoming wedding, Justin wondered if he might be able to give Judy away. He figured Nick already had a best man, so he couldn't take that role, but since their dad wouldn't be there to give her away, maybe he could take his place. It was something Justin hoped to discuss with Judy today, hopefully in person while he was still here. . . if he could find a few moments alone with her. He also hoped to ask her more about her 'alone time' with Nick as he was still shocked that Judy was already demanding that Nick devour her.
As they made their way downstairs, Bonnie couldn't help but feel giddy about Judy's new place. This house was absolutely perfect and Nick was a wonderful host. Bonnie could only assume that Nick was also the perfect roommate. Judy had already been bragging about how nice it was living with the helpful todd, especially since he took such great care of Judy while she was injured, and Bonnie could now see what she meant. At some point during their stay, she had to get more details about Judy and Nick's upcoming wedding. And the dress—she hoped Nick had already gotten one for her considering how soon she figured they would be getting married. And if Judy did have a dress already, she absolutely had to see it.
Stu's thoughts, on the paw, were going around in circles. Nick was a nice enough fellow and quite talented, and there really wasn't anything he could say against his spacious house and large yard. He could certainly see why his bun-bun absolutely refused to move out. There really wasn't a nicer place she could live here in the busy city. In fact, if Judy wanted to, she could probably get away with only saying a few words to Nick in a single day—the house was that big!
Stu's arguments for Judy moving out were going up in smoke and blowing away on the wind, but at the same time, he couldn't forget that his little trier was already letting the talented todd pet her ears. Rabbit does just didn't do that kind of thing unless they were interested in the guy on a romantic level. Although he found it hard to believe Judy saw any male on a romantic level, least of all a fox, as she had sworn off males and marriage years ago, Stu wasn't blind to the signs, no matter how much he wished they were otherwise.
As he plodded down the stairs behind his family, Stu had to wonder why Nick couldn't have been some prey mammal, like a gopher or even a beaver. He could accept a beaver for his daughter's boyfriend. They would certainly be an odd couple, but he could get used to it. So why was his bun-bun falling for a fox? A predator? Judy had been scarred by a fox's sharp claws once already, so what was to keep Nick from hurting her a second time? In a fit of passion, he could forget his own strength or forget it was a rabbit he was with and use too much force. What if he squeezed her too tight and accidentally sunk his teeth or claws into her?
Just thinking of these unlikely scenarios were giving him nightmares. Even though the likelihood of any of this happening should be close to nil, when he thought about the possibility of her dating the fox, Stu couldn't get Judy's nine-year-old voice out of his head when she said, "Well, then, I guess I'll have to be the first." With a heavy sigh and droopy ears, Stu followed his family out the front door.
Following behind the rabbits as they walked out the door, Nick watched Stu closely as he stepped up beside him on the porch. Cocking his head slightly, Nick asked, "You okay there, Stu?"
Stu's drooping ears immediately shot up as he glanced over at the fox beside him. "Oh, hey, Nick," he said. "Everything's great." At Nick's raised brow, Stu reached up to scratch behind his ear as he watched his kits hop down the porch steps. "Just some fatherly worries, nothing to concern yourself about."
Nick was silent for a moment, then said softly, but with great conviction in his voice, "I could never hurt Judy, Stu, or allow anyone else to harm her—of that I can promise you."
Stu looked up sharply while wondering if the fox was a mind reader. Nick met his stern gaze for several seconds, then gave him a nod before hurrying down the steps and over to the jeep to open the back door. Watching Nick jump into the back and start handing out boxes to the waiting rabbits, Stu paused at the top of the steps and watched the fox his daughter was sweet on. He really didn't have anything personally against the fox. Nick seemed to be a swell enough guy and had already proven that he could protect his little bun-bun…but why, oh, why did he have to be a predator?
-/-/-
Having finished playing tour guide, Amy opted to sit with Judy and Vivian in the living room while the others brought in the boxes (there weren't enough boxes for her to help with). Leaning against her sister, Amy wrapped her arm around one of Judy's and asked brightly, "Did you hear Nick play!? Watching him last night, I knew he was a great piano player, but that Lone Ranger theme song was amazing!"
Judy giggled. "Yes, I heard him. And Nick truly is amazing." Squeezing her sister's arm, she added brightly, "But I've known that for months."
Amy laughed with her sister, then said, "Now I can see how he could guess the bonus puzzle so easily."
Judy nodded while remembering the Wheel of Fortune show from this morning, but then Vivian spoke up from her other side. "Bonus puzzle?"
Looking over, Judy explained, "We were watching Wheel of Fortune this morning and Nick guessed The Lone Ranger for the bonus puzzle with merely a glance."
With a nod, Amy added, "Yeah, Nick said he could guess it so easily because he was obsessed with the Lone Ranger theme song."
Vivian nodded while thinking, then after a moment she said, "Since the show came on this morning, I'm guessing it was a rerun?" The new episodes of Wheel of Fortune always came on in the evenings, so Vivian was pretty sure she knew how Nick guessed the answer so easily and it had nothing to do with the song he liked so much.
Nodding, Judy answered, "That's right. It didn't have the touch-screen puzzle board yet, so I'm guessing the game originally aired 10 to 15 years ago."
The tip of Vivian's long, bushy tail swayed gently back and forth as it hung over the edge of the couch, even as the vixen said, "Although I'm sure Nick could have figured out the puzzle given a little time, if he guessed the answer with just glance then it probably had nothing to do with the answer and everything to do with the fact that he had already seen the show when it first aired."
Judy and Amy were left with gaping mouths at Vivian's words. After a moment, Amy snapped her mouth shut and then said, "Wait! How is that possible? How could Nick so easily remember a show from 15 years ago? That's nearly a lifetime ago!?" Although Amy could easily remember a hundred different things from 15 years ago, they were all things that were important to her—not a simple game show in a long string of shows that she had only seen once!
Before Vivian could answer, Judy sat up straighter and said, "Oh!" Hitting her palm with her opposite fist, she exclaimed, "That's right, Nick said he had near-photographic memory. Wow! To think he remembered something so easily from so long ago."
With a puzzled look, Amy questioned, "A near-photographic memory?"
"Yeah," Judy replied. "He doesn't see a photo or anything in his mind, but neither does he forget anything he has seen, read, or heard."
With a nod and flick of one of her black-furred ears, Vivian agreed. "That's right. Nick has a condition called hyperthymesia, and as you said, Judy, Nick doesn't forget anything. When it comes to remembering a particular Wheel of Fortune show, all Nick would need to do is see the contestants and the whole show would have flashed before his eyes—every category, every puzzle, the money and prizes the contestants won each round—and he certainly would have remembered the bonus puzzle even before you asked him."
Amy and Judy sat flabbergasted. They both had good memories, but they still had to study hard in their respective fields to remember the important things. But for Nick to so easily pick up everything on the first try—it was simply amazing! And yet, at the same time, it was totally unfair. But Judy now better understood Nick when they were discussing his ZPA studies and how he said he just needed to read the book once to know all the answers. The fact he still wanted her to quiz him to make sure he understood what he read was points in his favor as it showed that knowledge alone wasn't enough. Nick still sought the wisdom to use the knowledge correctly and it warmed her heart.
While Judy was thinking of their upcoming study sessions, Amy was remembering the news she had heard of Honey's death. With her long, tan ears drooping, she whispered, "So when Honey died, Nick would remember it like it happened yesterday, right?"
Vivian gave a slight nod as her tail tip flicked. "That's right. Nick doesn't like to remember painful experiences because they always feel so fresh in his mind. On the flip side, he can also remember all the good experiences just as well. It all depends on what he chooses to remember. . . and what he chooses to forget." Vivian added this last when she considered how Nick had chosen to forget both the good and the bad ever since Honey had died. He had buried the past deep in his mind and refused to remember anything, choosing instead to merely exist from one day to the next. At least he had until Judy hopped into his life and helped him make some new memories worth remembering.
Judy sat between Amy and Vivian, lost in thought as she remembered Nick's emotional outburst back at Precinct One when they were meeting with Bogo. With her ears dropping to her back as tears once more pooled at the corners of her eyes, she whispered, "That's why Nick got so angry and distraught when he was talking to Chief Bogo Thursday morning about his dad's and brother's murders." With a sniffle, she wiped her eyes with her arm and mumbled, "And how he was able to flip his emotions like a switch when I promised him a tummy rub and ear scratching for his efforts."
Amy gasped and covered her mouth with her paws as she whispered, "Nick's dad and brother were both murdered!?"
With a nod and another sniffle, Judy murmured, "He witnessed both and they were pretty gruesome and senseless. Nick would have also died a few years after his brother if Honey hadn't stepped into his life when she did." Taking the tissue Vivian handed her, she blew her nose while completely missing Vivian's look of pure shock. Mumbling around the wadded tissue as she rubbed her nose, Judy said, "It's like you said, Amy, it's a testament of Vivian's and Honey's love for him that Nick is still able to love and care for others, because society did everything it possibly could to destroy the goodness in Nick."
Amy just sat there with her paws over her mouth and her eyes wide as saucers as she considered how much harder Nick had it than she originally thought.
Handing Judy a second tissue, Vivian finally found her voice to ask, "Nick told you and Chief Bogo about John and Demetri's deaths?" Vivian had always worried about Nick. With his hyperthymesia, Nick could never forget the horrific events in his life, but burying them and never talking about them wasn't the answer either. But no matter what she and Anya did to try and get Nick to open up and talk about the horrible things he experienced, he always refused.
Judy nodded as she dabbed at her eyes. "In all their gory detail." Wiping at her nose, she said, "Now I understand why he still has nightmares about them."
Vivian couldn't believe the words coming out of Judy's mouth. Nick utterly refused to talk about John and Demetri's death. He just buried the memories deep inside himself and refused to acknowledge them—and in the end, it allowed the pain, anger, and bitterness they caused to fester inside him. But if Nick was able to talk to Judy about all the horrible injustices in his life, then maybe he could finally start healing from them.
Opening her mouth to ask more about it, the front door opened and Janette and Alexia walked through the doorway each carrying a box, with Justin and Janelle following behind them, then Chester and Bonnie with Stu and Nick trailing behind them. Nick was carrying the insulated bags full of fruits and veggies while also being in charge of closing the jeep door and then the front door.
With her family coming through the front door, Judy hastily balled up the Kleenex in her paw and pasted on a smile so the others wouldn't know that she had been close to crying her eyes out. She didn't fool Nick, though. As soon as he walked through the door behind Stu, Nick's nostrils flared, catching the salty sweet scent of her tears. As his emerald gaze shot to Judy's where she sat on the couch and was half turned to watch her family come in, a hundred different reasons flashed through his mind on why she might be crying. None of them seemed plausible, though.
Seeing Nick's worried gaze, Judy mouthed, "I'm okay." At Nick's ear flick and raised brow, she mouthed, "I'll tell you later." Nick met her steady gaze for another heartbeat, then gave the barest nod. Quickly dropping the bags off in the kitchen, he then hurried after the rabbits making their way up to Judy's room.
As the bunnies trooped upstairs with their boxes, Alexia hollered down the stairs, "Judy, you must have used up all your good luck when you made friends with Nick and landed a place like this!" Although she had never once thought of leaving Bunnyburrow and moving to the city, if she could get a place like this, she just might consider the move. Especially if the place came with such a talented roommate like Nick. She still couldn't believe how well he played the piano—and his mom was the one who taught him! Wouldn't it be awesome if they played a duet!?
"Yeah," Justin agreed with a laugh. "You better stay away from danger 'cause you've done used up all your good luck." Pausing slowing down slightly as he shouted down the stairs, Janelle bumped into his fluffy tail with her box. Hearing his sister's quiet mutter, of "Justin, hurry up," Justin picked up the pace and caught up to Alexia just as she stepped into the upstairs hallway.
Grinning, Judy answered Justin back, "If I've used up all my own luck then I'll just have to borrow some of Nick's." With her nose twitching while remembering the two cases Nick helped her on, Judy added, "I can honestly say that Nick was my lucky charm in finding the missing mammals 3 months ago and capturing Bellwether earlier this week."
While trying not to think about why Judy might have been crying, Nick hollered down the stairs, "Just remember, Judy," Nick almost called her Carrots, but caught himself, "the next time you come up with a brilliant plan, you promised to run it by me first and if I tell you to stop thinking whatever you're thinking, you're going to do it—right? Because we can't afford to blow up any more trains."
Judy rolled her eyes as her ears turned a light shade of red while remembering how her 'brilliant plan' almost got them killed—first by the psycho rams, and then by the exploding train. "Har, har, har," she grumbled loudly at him from where she still sat on the couch.
"You promised, Fluff," Nick hollered back down, "so no going back on your words." Nick was grinning until he realized he had used one of her pet names again. Biting his tongue (literally), he was glad he hadn't called her Carrots as her family might consider it a derogatory term.
Shaking her head, Judy grinned while hollering up the stairs, "I promise, I will run my ideas by you first and I will not act on them if you think they're too dangerous or you if come up with a better idea."
Learning Judy had blown up a train on top of being chased by a savage jaguar and nearly being killed in Bellwether's sinister plot caused a cold chill to run down both Stu's and Bonnie's spines—so they completely missed the nickname Nick had called Judy! All they could think about was that their little over-achiever had blown up a train! How dangerous was that!? And apparently, Nick tried to talk her out of it, but Judy didn't listen. While thinking of all the danger Judy seemed to attract (or more like—throw herself into it) since moving to the city increased their heart rate to a dangerous level.
Judy's siblings, on the other paw, were highly interested in hearing this particular story. How did their danger-prone sister even blow up a train? Riding a train yes—but blowing it up? Trains were huge so how could such a small rabbit blow up such a massive machine? Did she pack it full of explosives or something? But how and where would Judy acquire any explosives. Did Nick somehow supply them to her. It didn't sound like it considering he tried talking her out of it. And what would possess her to even blow up a train?
As the bunnies deposited the boxes in Judy's room while trying to picture Judy blowing up a train, Nick slipped into the spare room and grabbed his guitar. Slipping the strap over his head, he met the rabbits in the hallway and said, "Shall we move to the back porch and sing some songs before we start lunch?"
"Yes!" Janelle and Alexia both exclaimed together. They were both highly interested in hearing Nick sing.
With a chuckle, Chester said, "If you sing half as well as you play the piano, then I'd like to hear it, too." Nick was shaping up to be quite the interesting fox, and if he was able to convince Judy to run her ideas by him before she acted on them, and then change her course of action if he said it was too dangerous, then kudos to him. Chester didn't think anyone could rein in his younger sister's impulsive nature, but if Nick was able to, then he was a fine fox in his book.
Justin clapped his paws together, saying, "I second the motion of going out back. I'm looking forward to seeing this huge backyard Judy has told me about." What he really wanted to see was the scene of the crime—aka—the place of Nick and Judy's first date. He had heard about it from Janette and Janelle and was highly interested in seeing the place Nick had decorated and set up for such a romantic evening.
With a wave of his paw, Nick walked past the bunnies, saying, "Then come on." Leading the way downstairs, Amy met him at the bottom of the stairs, with his mom carrying Judy behind her. Nodding to his mom and Amy, he then met Judy's gaze. He still couldn't figure out why she was crying earlier, nor could he ask her about it yet, not with her sharp-eared siblings and worrisome parents within ear shot. His only consolation was that her mood had miraculously improved while he was upstairs, as she was smiling brightly with no hint of whatever had her upset.
Walking past Judy and his mom, Amy fell in step beside him and together they led the group through the kitchen and dining room and out onto the back porch. As the rabbits finally got a better view the house's spacious backyard, there were gasps from the girls. Although there were flowers lining the fence of the front yard, the backyard was a riot of colors with many different flowers in full bloom. And, now that the weeds were gone and the lawn had been mowed, the colors could truly be seen and appreciated.
Turning around to the bunnies behind her, Amy reached out and grabbed her mom and her littermate's paws, saying, "You guys have to see the Hardy Hibiscus that are growing around the gazebo." Dragging them off the porch, she led them across the grass and around the large garage, which itself was surrounded by many colorful blooms of the Rose of Sharon and other, smaller flowers. Janette and Janelle followed Amy as she continued dragging her mom and littermate across the yard as they were also interested in the flowers that had caught Amy's attention.
Vivian, on the other paw, glanced down at Judy and asked, "Have you seen the Hardy Hibiscus yet?"
Judy shook her head. The only time she had been past the garage was when she was sitting next to Nick in the gyrocopter, and at the time, she had her mind on more important things than the yard.
"Well, then," Vivian responded, "you really must see them. For smaller mammals like us, they're quite the sight." Walking past the boys, she carried Judy down the stairs and across the yard as she followed the other girls behind the garage.
This left the boys on the porch and gazing around the huge, green yard with its dizzying array of color. Justin and Chester enjoyed the view which the large yard presented, but it wasn't long before the huge garage with the double doors caught their attention. Stu, on the other paw, wasn't particularly happy with what he saw.
With Nick's yard being so spacious and green with so many bright colors dotted around it, his reasons for Judy moving out were disappearing one by one. But Judy was living with a boy she was sweet on and he didn't like it. Since they weren't married, living together would invite too much temptation. Well, even if they were married, Stu still wouldn't like it. With his ears drooping slightly, he once again thought, 'Why, oh, why did Judy have to fall for a predator?'
Watching the bucks, Nick could see that Chester and Justin were interested in his garage, while Stu seemed to be disgruntled by something. While he was trying to figure out what Stu disliked about his yard, Justin walked over to him and put his arm around his back and said, "Nick, you have got to show us what's hiding in your garage."
Nick flicked his ear as his long tail swayed behind him. Looking down at Judy's brother with a grin, he said, "I don't know, Justin. If you see what's in my garage, you might want to move in, too."
Stu started sputtering at the idea of another one of his kits wanting to move in with the fox, even as Chester chuckled while Justin's grin grew bigger.
"Now I really have to see what's in your garage!" Justin stated excitedly. He already heard about Nick's gyrocopter that he took Judy flying in, and he was looking forward to seeing it for himself, but he was also interested in seeing what else was hiding in the garage.
With a wave of his paw, Nick led the bucks over to the oversized building (compared to a few small rabbits, the garage was truly massive). After unlocking the door, with the bucks all raising a brow at the funny little jingle he sang, Nick then led them inside and flipped on the lights. The gyrocopter was the first thing everyone saw as it sat front and center of the garage. After gawking at it for several minutes with Justin and Chester stating their desire to fly in it (Stu just about had a heart attack at the idea of his boys flying it—it was too dangerous!), then Chester spied the Aston Martin sitting in the back and flipped out.
Hopping over to it, with Justin right beside him, the two bucks started fawning all over it, and even Stu couldn't completely hide his interest in the sleek, fast machine. Nick even let Judy's brothers open the doors and sit inside. They were still gawking at it a few minutes later when the girls came in from looking at the flowers.
Vivian started to say they were ready to hear Nick play and sing, but then the bunny does all spied Nick's car. They didn't recognize the make or model, but they certainly recognized a fast, expensive machine when they saw one. When they asked what car it was, Amy, of course was the one to answer. Leaning back against the hood and spreading her arms out across its shiny blue paint as she looked at her sisters, Amy said, "This, my friends, is a 2008 Aston Martin Vantage Roadster. It has a V8 engine, 302 pounds of torque, 380 horsepower, and goes from 0-60 miles per hour in just 4.9 seconds."
Nick was impressed with Amy's knowledge of his Vantage Roadster, but knowing she was a car buff just like Finnick—he wasn't all that surprised. Taking his phone out, he made a video of the bunnies checking out the expensive sports car so he could it send it to them later as he figured it would be a good memento for them (and if anyone claimed they were lying about sitting behind the wheel of such an expensive foreign car, they would have proof).
After the girls each had their turn to sit behind the wheel, Nick suggested they return to the porch so he could play the guitar and sing a few songs for them before they got started on lunch. As the bunnies followed Nick and his mom back to the porch, with Vivian still carrying Judy, Stu hung back from the group a bit. While the others had been gawking at the car and crawling around inside it, he had checked out the rest of the garage and it left him with chills down his back.
Besides the dangerous flying machine and the neck-breaking-ly, fast car (Stu was interested in Roadster until he heard Amy bragging about its speed and power—then he didn't want anything more to do with it), Nick also had a couple of motorbikes hiding in the garage which had fear gripping his heart at the thought of Judy riding one of them.
Dirt bikes were a common enough occurrence in Bunnyburrow and quite a few of his kits even owned them, but that was back in the country. Here in the large city of Zootopia, Stu was positive Judy would get run over by a much larger mammal in a car or truck who wouldn't even see her on such a small motorbike!
And if the motorbikes weren't scary enough, Nick also had a set of jet skis, snowmobiles, regular skis and snowboards, rock-climbing gear (they were hanging on the wall), along with some fat canvas bags setting next to several bundles of aluminum pipes that looked to snap together to form some kind of frame. Stu wasn't sure what exactly he was looking at, but he knew it spelled danger. Nick's whole garage was full of nothing but reckless endangerment! The only safe vehicle seemed to be the oversized jeep out front! And his little girl was moving in with this thrill-seeking daredevil! Worst yet, Judy would probably ask Nick to let her use it all!
While Stu was about to blow a gasket at the dangers Nick's large garage posed, Bonnie was humming happily as she followed her kits to the back porch. Her little bun-bun was living in this beautiful house with such a spacious and beautiful yard. She had a safe vehicle to drive around town in (the jeep), but on special occasions, Judy could move up in the world and have Nick take her out in that fancy Roadster he had in the garage. This was so exciting! Bonnie couldn't wait to hear more about the wedding.
As they climbed up onto the porch, Vivian sat down on the left side of the porch swing, then sat Judy down next to her. Nick, on the other paw, went around the porch railing and dropped down the benches that were built into it. They were hinged with small chains on each end to support their weight once the benches were down. Turning around, he saw that Amy, Janelle, Janette, and Alexia were now sitting on the porch swing next to Judy and his mom. As small as rabbits were, they easily fit on the wide swing.
As he moved to the end of the porch so he could see both those on the swing and Judy's parents and brothers who were now on the benches (Bonnie had looped her arm through Stu's and dragged him over to the seat), Nick grinned. Positioning the guitar so he could play it, he strummed a chord.
WingedKatt again. I hope you all enjoyed the family gathering so far. Next time, Nick will play a few songs and then he will have some along time with Judy's dad and brothers. We'll see how that goes.
Ch. 84: A WildeHopps Family Gathering, will post in 2 weeks. I hope you all have a great weekend and be safe. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know.
